The Bridge River Indian Band() also known as the Nxwísten First Nation, the Xwisten First Nation, and the Bridge River Band, is a First Nations government located in the Central Interior-

Fraser Canyon The Fraser Canyon is a major landform of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley. Colloquially, the term "Fraser Ca ...

region of the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. It is a member of the

Lillooet Tribal Council The Lillooet Tribal Council is the official English name of the largest tribal council of what is also known as the St'at'imc Nation, though not including all governments of Sťáťimc, St'at'imc peoples - the term St'at'imc Nation has another cont ...

(also known as the St'at'imc Nation), which is the largest grouping of band governments of the St'at'imc people (aka the Lillooet people). The Bridge River Indian Band's offices are located on BC Highway 40 in the lower

Bridge River The Bridge River is an approximately long river in southern British Columbia. It flows south-east from the Coast Mountains. Until 1961, it was a major tributary of the Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of L ...

valley, a few miles outside of

Lillooet, British Columbia Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On British ...

, which is about 150 miles northeast of

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, on the northern end of the town of

Lillooet Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...

. Its residential areas are scattered through its reserve, one of the largest in British Columbia, with a newer residential subdivision adjacent to Highway 40 near the band offices, about 15 kilometres from Lillooet. It is one of the three main band communities of "metropolitan Lillooet", the others being the Cayoose Creek Indian Band (Sekwelwas First Nation) and the T'it'kt First Nation Lillooet Band), all of which border on the District of Lillooet.

Bridge River Fishing Grounds

The important and age-old Bridge River Fishing Grounds, known as ''Sxetl'' in the St'at'imcets language and also known locally as Six Mile Rapids, are on the reserves of the Bridge River Band and their original "modern" post-Contact

rancherie A rancherie is a First Nations residential area of an Indian reserve in colloquial English throughout the Canadian province of British Columbia. Originating in an adaptation of ''ranchería'', a Californian term for the residential area of a '' ra ...

is on the bench above the

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

grounds, which are also known as the Lower Fountain or Lower Fountains and which lie at the junction of the Bridge and

Fraser River The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...

s. Other St'at'imc governments include the smaller

In-SHUCK-ch Nation The In-SHUCK-ch Nation, also known as Lower Lillooet people, are a small First Nations Tribal Council on the lower Lillooet River south of Pemberton- Mount Currie in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The communities of the In-SHUCK-ch are ...

on the lower

Lillooet River The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of W ...

to the southwest, and the independent N'quatqua First Nation at the farther end of Anderson Lake from

Seton Portage Seton Portage () is a community on a narrow strip of land between Anderson Lake and Seton Lake in Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia. The community is home to two Seton Lake First Nation communities at either end of the porta ...

, which is the location of three of the reserve communities of the

Seton Lake First Nation The Seton Lake First Nation, a.k.a. the Seton Lake Indian Band, is a First Nations government located in the Central Interior-Fraser Canyon region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is a member of the Lillooet Tribal Council The L ...

, another member of the Lillooet Tribal Council.

Name

Nxwísten or Xwisten is the name of the

in the

St'at'imcets language Lillooet (; Lillooet: / , ) is a Salishan language of the Interior branch spoken by the Stʼatʼimc in southern British Columbia, Canada, around the middle Fraser and Lillooet Rivers. The language of the Lower Lillooet people uses the name ', ...

. Early documents and before formalized St'at'imcets spelling was defined various spellings were used Nxo'isten, Hoystein, and more recently 'Xwisten. The band's official website uses a variant of the proper St'at'imcets name Nxwísten in its domain name.

History

The Bridge River Reserves are some of the largest by area in British Columbia, and date from the days of the chief of the Bridge River people's licensing and taxing of hydraulic miners on the

in the 1870s and 1880s. The reserves were set aside by Indian Reserve Commissioner Peter O'Reilly, who was appointed in 1880 by the provincial and federal governments. O'Reilly rushes his work and failed to reserve lands that the Xwisten people had requested, and did not comply with later instructions to return to Bridge River to complete the reserve-creation process. The

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

activity, which washed away at the river's steep, sandy banks with huge hoses and scoured the riverbed, hurt the

salmon run A salmon run is an annual fish migration event where many salmonid species, which are typically hatched in fresh water and live most of their adult life downstream in the ocean, swim back against the stream to the upper reaches of rivers to s ...

s in the river, and these were further damaged and virtually wiped out by the construction of the

Bridge River Power Project The Bridge River Power Project is a hydroelectric power development in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located in the Lillooet Country between Whistler and Lillooet. It harnesses the power of the Bridge River, a tributary of the Frase ...

in the 1940s and 1950s. The Xwisten people are one of the three reserve communities which directly surrounding

and many of their community have had an important role in the history of the native political movements in BC.

Chief and Councillors

Chief Susan James 11/2015–Present Chief Billy Michelle 1969-1989

Indian Reserves

Indian Reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the ''Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." R ...

under the administration of the Bridge River Band are: * Bridge River Indian Reserve No. 1 - on both sides of the Bridge River upstream from the confluence to Antoine Creek, c. 14 miles, 3845.50 ha. * Bridge River Indian Reserve No. 2 - on the right (west) bank of the Fraser River about 4 miles upstream/north of

Fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

, 56.70 ha. * Lillooet Indian Reserve No. 1A - on the right (west) bank of the Fraser River one mile northwest of the town of Lillooet, 797.20 ha. (this reserve is shared with the T'it'q'et First Nation (Lillooet Band)

Treaty Process

History

Demographics

Economic Development

Social, Educational and Cultural Programs and Facilities

References

External links

Bridge River Indian Band website

Profile of the Bridge River Indian Band
by the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Aerial view down Bridge River valley, Xwisten Rancherie at centre
{{St'at'imc First Nations St'at'imc governments Lillooet Country

Bridge River Fishing Grounds

Name

History

Chief and Councillors

Indian Reserves

Treaty Process

History

Demographics

Economic Development

Social, Educational and Cultural Programs and Facilities

See also

References

External links